Comestible package



April 1961 .1.- w. ARMSTRONG ET AL 2,981,456

COMESTIBLE PACKAGE Filed Sept. 8, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet l 50 36 Fig.

4L Z X/ 29 3o April 1961 J. w. ARMSTRONG ETAL 2,981,456

COMESTIBLE PACKAGE Filed Sept. 8, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 5 20 Fig. I86

April 25, 1961 J. w. ARMSTRONG ETAL 2,981,456

COMESTIBLE PACKAGE Filed Sept. 8, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 {flexible wrapperabout the container,

C'OMESTIBLE PACKAGE Filed Sept. 8, 19 58,Ser. No. 759,732 2 Claims. (Cl. 22-16) This invention relates to a substantially sealed package, the package being particularly adapted for the packaging of a semi-hard extrudable material, such as ice cream, frozen sherbet and the like, but also adaptable to the packaging of other products.

Ice cream, frozen sherbets and other frozen cornestibles are generally packaged today in relatively thick and stiff cardboard containers which are usually waxed. Such containers require the use of very large quantities of rather heavy paper stock which involve a considerable cost factor in the packaging of such commodities.

The principal purpose of this invention is to provide a package requiring substantially less packaging material, which can be readily'printed for identification and waxed or otherwise coatedfor leakproofness of the package, with the closure of the package being accomplished by means which will result in substantially a leakproof container. The package consists of an inner container in which the goods are packaged and an outer sealed flexible wrapper in which the container is completely enclosed. Further objects and advantages of. this invention will be obvious from the following specification and accompanying drawings, wherein Figure l is a plan view of a series of paperboard blanks which comprise an element of a carton or container which is formed in accordance with the present invention,

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing one of the blanks partially set up to receive an extruded block of ice cream and the like,

Figures 3 to 6 are perspective views of the container illustrating successive sequence of steps in closing the container,

Figure 7 is 'a perspective view of the fully closed container illustrating the first step in applying an outer Figures 8 to 10Yare perspective views of the container showing successive steps in enfolding and sealing the container within the outer flexible wrapper, and

Figures 11 and 12 are perspective views showing successive steps in opening the sealed package shown in Figure 10 for access to the contents therein.

The package made in accordance with the present invention involves the use of two packaging elerne'nts,'-(l) a paperboard blank which, while relatively stiff, may be of a lightness and thickness not presently in common use r in packaging,-and (2) a-thin, flexible, sheet such as'w'ax, paper; oil, plastic film or the like which is heat-sealable to provide liquidproofness. The paper sheet'or wrapping may be printed'for the purposes of identifying the product to b e'contained in the package' We prefer to use an inner blank with athickness of-about .009 inch States Patent roll of the paperboard but the separate blanks may be supplied from a stack if desired. The flexible outer wrapper in this preferred method is also separated from a continuous roll thereof, successive independent wrappers being severed from the roll by conventional means as the packaging process is carried out. The wrapper if desired may be supplied from a stack of pre-cut sheets.

Figure 1 shows a succession of paperboard inner blanks as they would be supplied in the preferred method of packaging. As shown in Figure 1, the blank A is cut from a continuous roll of a series of such blanks designated generally by letters A, B, etc., which are suitably cut and scored to provide a front wall 14, a bottom wall 15, a rear wall 16, a top or cover wall 17 and an opening flap 18. These walls are connected to each other along score lines 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively. Front wall 14 is provided with a perforated score line 5 atone end thereof to form an end flap 19, and a perforated score line 6 at the other end of the Wall 14 to form an end flap 20. End flap 19 is provided with a curvillinear cut line 41 to form a locking tab 50, and fiap 2b is provided with a curvillinear cut line 40 to form a tab portion 51.

The bottom wall 15 is hingedly connected along score line 7 to an end flap 21, and to an end flap 22 along score line 8. End flap 21 is provided with a cut score line 36 terminating at its inner end in a curvilinear shape to provide a locking tongue portion 51. Flap 22 is provided with a similar cut line 35 to provide a locking tongue portion 52. Flaps 19 and, 21 are separated by a out line 34, and flaps 20 and 22 are separated by a cut score line '33. The rear wall 16 is hingedly connected along a perforated score line 9 to an end flap 23, and along'a perforated score line It to an end flap 24. The top or cover portion 17 is hingedly connected along perforated score line 11 to an end flap 25 and along perforated score line 12 to an end flap 26. End flap 25 is provided with a slit 37 and end flap 26 is provided with a slit 33 each extending to the free edge of the flaps. Flap 23 is separated from adjacent flaps 21 and 25 by cut score lines 29 and 3t). Flap 24 is separated from adjacent end flaps 22 and 26 by cut score lines 31 and 32.

As shown in Figure 1, blank A may be attached to the next succeeding blank B which consists of similar elements as in blank A along a line of weakness 90,-

these lines of weakness preferably comprising very heavy perforations. However, these lines of weakness'are not and fedfrom a stack successively to the packaging means In forming the used in forming the present package. package, according to the present invention, a succession of blanks are fed from a roll to a conventional conveyor,

not'shown, and guided and fed by rollers to successive the paperboard blanks are separated from a continuous forming stations where the blanks are set up and the flaps interlockedto form a receptacle portion in which the ice crean'r'or other 'comestible to be packaged fed .to the carto'nin which "it is packaged. 'As statedipreviously, our invention is particularly suitable for"pack-' aging frozen comestibles, such as ice creams, sherbets and ices, which may be extruded through a head" in a semihard condition, the consiste'ncyzbeing such'as to main tain the product in its extruded form. The head not course of size essentially commensurate withthe'crosssection dimensions of the receptacle so that a substan tially perfect 'fit of the extrudedicomestible isproduced within the'receptacle. .Itis obvious conventional means may be" used to sever from theextruded material'the .wall 16 which is held in a horizontal plane.

17, as shown in Figure 3.

receptacle for packaging. After the material is extruded into the receptacle formed as described, the partially formed receptacle is then fully closed as will be hereinafter described and then overwrappedin an outer flexible wrapper as will be hereinafter described.-

In forming the receptacle from the blank A," the blank is first folded along score lines 2 and 3, as shown in Figure 2, so as to vertically position the bottom wall 15 and the top or cover wall 17 at right angles to the rear The blank in this condition is then brought beneath a suitable filling head and a substantially rectangular block of the comestible is extruded and positioned on the bottom panel 16. Flaps 23 and 24 are then folded at right angles to the rear Wall 16 and brought into Contact with the lower bottom portion of the extruded comestible. End'flaps 25 and 26 are then folded at right angles to the top wall End flaps 21 and 22'a re then folded over and superimposed over the respective flaps 25 and 26, as shown in Figure 4. At-the same time the tongue portions 51 and 52 of the respective-end-flaps 21 and 22 are inserted within the slits 3 7 and 38 provided in the inner flaps 25 and 26 so as to interlock the same, as shown in Figure 4. The front wall 14 is then folded over the open end of the receptacle in the relation shown in Figure and at the same time tongues 50 and 51 are inserted through the slits 35 and 36 in the respective end flaps 21 and 22 so as to interengage with same as shown in Figure 6. The receptacle is now completely closed except for the upstanding opening flap 18, as shown in Figure 6. -The receptacle is now ready to be overwrapped with a heat-scalable flexible wrapper which is from a roll by a conventional means, such as a knife, not

shown in the drawings. In our preferred method of forming a package, the filled receptacle is brought upwardly against the wrapper 60 in such a fashion that one end portion 61 of the wrapper overlies the front panel 14 of the receptacleas shown in Figure 7. The wrapper is then pressed completely around the receptacle with an intermediate stage as shown in Figure 8. The wrapper is of predetermined dimensions so that when the wrap around operation just referred to is completed, the other end 62 of the wrapper will extend slightly beyond the free edge of opening flap 18 so that terminal portion 69 of the wrapper may be heat sealed to the exterior surface of the wrapper adjacent the first end of the wrapper in the position shown in Figure 9. When this wrap around operation is completed, the opening flap 18 of the receptacle is automatically pressed to overlie front panel 14 of the carton with the end 61 of the wrapper interposed therebetween. The wrapper is of such dimensions that its side edges 63 and 64 extend-beyond the sides of the receptacle, as shown in Figure 7, so as to provide marginal portions 65, 66, ,67 and 68 extending beyond the ends of the receptacle, as shown in Figures 8 and 9. The side margins 65, 66, 67 and 68 of the heat-scalable wrapper are conventionally folded in succession about the ends of the container and then suitably heat sealed to each other to provide a substantially leakproof finished package as shown in Figure 10.. The mechanical elements and equipment needed to perform various parts of the operation just described are in' each instance conventional and may be purchased on the open market in any of several particular detailed forms. For this reason, none of these elements has been. shown in the drawings qr described in detail;

accomplished by high speed conventional means.

In forming the package as described, opening panel 18 is not adhered to the front panel 14 or to the end of the wrapper 60 but the closure in this area is obtained by heat sealing adherence of the end of the wrapper to the exterior surface of the other end of the wrapper adjacent to the opening panel. It will be obvious that the remote end edge of the opening flap 18 provides a slight but definite protrusion or unevenness in the exterior surface of the complete package. Due to this feature the fingernail or any relatively sharp instrument can be conveniently used to make an initial break in the wrapper 60 to give access to the free edegs of the flap 18. A portion of the edge of flap 18 may then be lifted, thereby tearing through the wrapper 60 along lines 80, 81 and 82, as shown in Figure 11. Continued lifting force applied to the flap 18 will result in fracturing of the wrapper along the lines where it overlies the hinge lines of the carton as shown in Figure 12. The adherence of the wrapper side margins to the flaps is stronger than the connection between these flaps and the panel so that this lifting also results in severance of the flaps from the cover panel along the same hinge lines, the hinge lines providing substantial lines of weakness. As

shown in Figure 12, continued tearing of the outer made from a minimum amount of inexpensive materials,

which can be formed and filled with conventional equipment'at high speed. The outer flexible wrapper may be inherently heat-scalable or may be coated with a heatsealable coating so that sealing of the package may be The outer wrapper may be formed of conventional waxed paper, coated cellophane, polyethylene, rubber hydrochloride and the like.

We claim:

1. A package for a comestible product comprising an inner receptacle formed from a relatively stiff paperboard blank, said inner receptacle being overwrapped by a flexible outer wrapper folded thereabout and heat sealed to form a leakproof package, said inner receptacle being formed from a paperboard blank suitably cut and scored to provide a front wall, a bottom wall, a rear wall, a cover wall and an opening flap, said walls and flap being hingedly connected together along suitable .score lines therebetween, said rear wall beingprovided with end flaps adapted to be folded inwardly of the receptacle and to be brought into contact with the comestible packaged in said receptacle, said cover well being provided with end flaps hingedly connected thereto and adapted to be superimposed over said end flaps hingedly connected to said rear wall, said end flaps hingedly connected to said cover wall being provided with slits extending a substantial distance from the free margin of .saidhinged flaps, said bottom wall being provided with hingedly connected and flaps adapted to be folded and superimposed over said flaps hingedly connectedto said coverwall, said end flaps connected to said bottom wall being provided with slit portions therein for forming locking tabs extending at the upper portion of each of said end flaps, said locking tabs being adapted to be inserted within the slits-provided in the end flaps hingedly connected to said .cover wall, said front wall having hingedly connected thereto end flaps along'score lines at each end. thereof, said end flaps being provided with locking tongues at the ,sidemargins of said end flaps, saidlocking tongues being insertable in the slit portions of the end flaps hingedly connected to the bottom wall for locking the front wall into closed position,- an outer flexible wrapperv enfoldedabout, said receptacle, an end portion of said wrapper being interposed between said front wall and said opening flap and an opposite end portion of said wrapper overlying said opening flap of the receptacle and therebeyond being adhered to the wrapper adjacent said flap, the side margins of the wrapper adapted to be folded to enclose said receptacle at the ends thereof and to be sealed to provide a substantial and leakproof Package.

2. A package as defined in claim 1, wherein the inner receptacle is formed from a cardboard blank of about .009 inch thickness and an outer waxed paper wrapper of about .0025 inch thickness.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

